A well-indexed census is one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. You can also use censuses to follow the changes in a family over time, and identify neighbors. These and other clues provided by censuses can be used to help find additional kinds of records about the family.

| bgcolor="#99cc99" align="center" colspan="90" | '''Wisconsin State and Territorial Censuses'''<ref name="Dubes">Henry J. Dubester, ''[http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/37244714 State Censuses: An Annotated Bibliography of Censuses of Population Taken After the Year 1790 by States and Territories of the United States]'' (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1948)[[{{Dubes}}]], 62-65, 72-73.</ref>

| align="left" | State Census<ref name="Lainh" /><ref>Wisconsin, Secretary of State ''[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1539 Enumeration of Soldiers and Sailors of the Late War Residing in Wisconsin June 20, 1885]'' (S.l.:sn,1885)</ref><ref>Wisconsin, Department of State, ''[http://fsbeta.familysearch.org/s/collection/show?uri=http://10.244.51.214:8080/wcds/container/externalId/org.familysearch.easy.collection_id/1443713 Wisconsin State Census, 1885]'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1979. Microfilm of original records at the Wisconsin Historical Society at Madison, Wisconsin.)[[{{Wisc1885}}]]</ref>

For a list of the exact date of each federal census, see [[Wisconsin Censuses Existing and Lost]].

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=== Federal population schedules ===

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=== Manuscripts ===

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==== Microfilm images ====

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Two manuscript versions of the 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses exist, one at the National Archives and the other at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Because these are copies, there may be transcription errors, so that the information in each may be different. The two may also differ in the legibility of the handwriting, the condition of the manuscript, and the quality of the microfilm.<ref>"Local Genealogy," ''McMillan Memorial Library'' (http://www.scls.lib.wi.us/mcm/local/local_genealogy.html : accessed 2 October 2009).</ref> The Family History Library has microfilms of the set in the possession of the National Archives.

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Two manuscripts exist for the 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses. One set of manuscripts exists at the National Archives and another at the Wisconsin Historical Society. The information on each set is supposed to be the same, but it can be beneficial to check both. Transcription errors might exist. The two might differ in the legibility of the handwriting, the condition of the manuscript, and the quality of the microfilm.<ref>"Local Genealogy," ''McMillan Memorial Library'' (http://www.scls.lib.wi.us/mcm/local/local_genealogy.html : accessed 2 October 2009).</ref> The Family History Library has microfilms of the set in the possession of the National Archives.

For a list of microform and book indexes for the non-population schedules of Wisconsin, [[Wisconsin Non-Population Schedule Indexes: Fiche, Film, or Book|click here]].

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== Sources ==

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=== State, territorial, and colonial censuses ===

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Censuses were taken in Wisconsin in different years than the federal censuses. These censuses may have different data compared to federal censuses. Check these censuses for more information on a family.

| align="center" bgcolor="#99cc99" colspan="90" | '''Wisconsin state, territorial, and colonial censuses'''<ref name="Dubes">Henry J. Dubester, ''[http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/37244714 State Censuses: An Annotated Bibliography of Censuses of Population Taken After the Year 1790 by States and Territories of the United States]'' (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1948)[[{{Dubes}}]], 62-65, 72-73.</ref>

| align="left" | &nbsp;State Census&nbsp;<ref name="Lainh" /><ref>Wisconsin, Secretary of State ''[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1539 Enumeration of Soldiers and Sailors of the Late War Residing in Wisconsin June 20, 1885]'' (S.l.:sn,1885)</ref><ref>Wisconsin, Department of State, ''[http://fsbeta.familysearch.org/s/collection/show?uri=http://10.244.51.214:8080/wcds/container/externalId/org.familysearch.easy.collection_id/1443713 Wisconsin State Census, 1885]'' (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1979. Microfilm of original records at the Wisconsin State Historical Society at Madison, Wisconsin.)[[{{Wisc1885}}]]</ref>

| align="left" | &nbsp;Territory Census for, then known as, Crawford, Brown and Iowa Counties&nbsp;located in the far western part of&nbsp;Michigan Territory; now Wisconsin.<ref name="Barnett">LeRoy Barnett, "State Censuses of Michigan: A Tragedy of Lost Treasurers" and Appendices in ''[http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1355643 Family Trails]'' [[{{BarnettL}}]] 6 no. 1 (Summer-Fall 1978): 3, 21. Original census at Michigan State Archives, Lansing. In 1834 Crawford County was part of Michigan Territory. Lists heads of house by name, and age categories for others.</ref><ref>Jackson, Ron V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp. [http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?rank=0&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gsfn=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gsln=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;sx=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;f1=1834&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;f4=crawford&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;f7=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gskw=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;prox=1&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;db=micen&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;ti=0&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;ti.si=0&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gl=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gss=mp-micen&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gst=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;so=3 ''Michigan Census, 1827-70''] [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999. Original data: Compiled and digitized by Mr. Jackson and AIS from microfilmed schedules of the U.S. Federal Decennial Census, territorial/state censuses, and/or census substitutes.</ref>

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=== Existing and lost censuses ===

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For a list of available and missing Wisconsin censuses, [[Wisconsin Censuses Existing and Lost|click here]]. <br>

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=== Why use a census? ===

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A well-indexed census is one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. You can also use censuses to follow the changes in a family over time, and identify neighbors. These and other clues provided by censuses are important because they help find additional kinds of records about the family.

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=== More about censuses ===

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[[United States Census|Click here]] for additional details about how to use censuses, such as:

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:*[[United States Census Searching|index searching tips]]

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:*[[United States Census Analyzing Census Data|analyzing and using what you find]]

Revision as of 18:00, 1 May 2012

Using Censuses

A well-indexed census is one of the easiest ways to locate where an ancestor's family lived and when they lived there. You can also use censuses to follow the changes in a family over time, and identify neighbors. These and other clues provided by censuses can be used to help find additional kinds of records about the family.

Federal Population Schedules

Manuscripts

Two manuscript versions of the 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses exist, one at the National Archives and the other at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Because these are copies, there may be transcription errors, so that the information in each may be different. The two may also differ in the legibility of the handwriting, the condition of the manuscript, and the quality of the microfilm.[22] The Family History Library has microfilms of the set in the possession of the National Archives.

↑ LeRoy Barnett, "State Censuses of Michigan: A Tragedy of Lost Treasurers" and Appendices in Family Trails [FHL Book 977.4 D25f] 6 no. 1 (Summer-Fall 1978): 3, 21. Original census at Michigan State Archives, Lansing. Lists heads of house by name, and age categories for others.

↑ 23.023.123.223.3FamilySearch, a free online service of the Family History Library, including free images of many federal censuses, including an index of the 1880 federal census of the United States; connected with 1880 census images provided by Ancestry.com, a subscription site.

↑ 25.025.125.225.3HeritageQuest has arranged with many subscribing public libraries in the United States to allow users free access on home computers by means of their personal library card numbers. HeritageQuest provides images of all surviving 1790 to 1930 federal censuses, and indexes to many but not all of them.

↑ 26.026.126.226.3Fold3, formerly known as Footnote.com, a subscription site partnering with the National Archives and includes some federal censuses. Free access is available at many public libraries.

↑ 28.028.128.228.3Archives.com, a subscription site that provides online indexes and images to all surviving federal census records, among other sources.

↑ 29.029.129.229.3FamilyLink.com, a subscription site that provides online images (and some indexes) to all surviving federal and many state census records, among other sources.

↑ In 1820 the people living in present-day Wisconsin were enumerated as part of the Michigan Territory federal census. Green Bay was in Brown County, Michigan Territory. Prarie du Chien was in Crawford County, Michigan Territory. The southwest tip of Lake Superior was in Michilimackinac County, Michigan Territory but was sparsley settled.

↑ In 1830 the people living in present-day Wisconsin were enumerated as part of the Michigan Territory federal census. Green Bay was in Brown County, Michigan Territory. Prarie du Chien was in Crawford County, Michigan Territory. The southwest tip of Lake Superior was in Chippewa County, Michigan Territory but was sparsely settled. The southwest corner of Wisconsin was called Iowa County, Michigan Territory.

↑ In 1834 the people living in present day Wisconsin were enumerated as part of the Michigan Territory. The 1834 Michigan early census included what was known as Brown county, Iowa county and Prairie Du Chien in Crawford county, all located in the current state of Wisconsin

↑ The 1840 federal census of Wisconsin Territory included land that is now in northeastern Minnesota.